Gallup: Majority of Americans Hold Favorable View of NRA

A majority of Americans have a favorable view of the National Rifle Association, according to a new Gallup poll.

The poll also found that views of the gun advocacy group were more positive among gun owners, although owners said the NRA did not always reflect their views.

Fifty-four percent of respondents to the Gallup survey said they held a mostly favorable or very favorable view of the NRA, while 38 percent said they had a mostly unfavorable or very unfavorable view of the organization.

That is down from a high of 60 percent favorability in 2005, but still far above the low of 42 percent recorded in 1995.

Eighty-three percent of Republicans, and 71 percent of gun owners, also had a favorable view of the group, while 36 percent of Democrats and 40 percent of non-gun owners saw the NRA in a favorable light.

At least half the respondents in the poll said that the NRA “only sometimes” or “never” reflected their views on guns, whether or not a member of the household owns a firearm. Among gun owners, however, 50 percent of those participating in the poll said the group sometimes reflects their opinions.

Gallup conducted the poll of 1,038 people between Dec. 19 to 22 — after the school shooting in Newtown, Conn., which left 26 people dead, but before the ambush killing of firefighters near Rochester, N.Y. The margin of error is 4 points.